1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wide bandgap materials and more particularly to a method for forming a layer of a wide bandgap material in a non-wide bandgap material. The invention relates further to an improved component such as wide bandgap semiconductor device formed within the wide bandgap material.
2. Background of the Invention
Presently, silicon and gallium arsenide are the dominant conventional semiconductor materials used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. Silicon and gallium arsenide are considered non-wide bandgap semiconductors. In contrast, wide bandgap semiconductors have superior properties including breakdown field, dielectric constant, thermal conductivity and saturated electron drift velocity. Unfortunately, wide bandgap semiconductors are expensive due to high processing costs and poor yields emanating from wafer growth through device packaging.
Ceramic substrates having wide bandgap semiconductor compositions, such as silicon carbide (SiC) and aluminum nitride (AlN), are known to exhibit electrical properties ranging from insulating electrical properties, semiconducting electrical properties and conducting electrical properties.
The wide-bandgap semiconductor phases of ceramics and other wide-bandgap semiconductors including diamond are used to create devices such as conductive tabs, interconnects, vias, wiring patterns, resistors, capacitors, semiconductor devices and the like electronic components by laser synthesis on the surfaces and within the body of such wide-bandgap semiconductors to thereby eliminate photolithography processes which require numerous steps and generate undesirable chemical pollutants when processing such traditional electronic devices, components and circuitry.
It is well known that alumina (Al2O3) dominates the dielectric market as an integrating substrate or device carrier in electronics packaging. Boron nitride (BN), aluminum nitride (AlN), silicon carbide (SiC) and diamond are also of interest due to the thermal coefficient of expansion (TCE) and for the dielectric constant and higher thermal conductivity than that of aluminum oxide (Al2O3). Silicon carbide (SiC), aluminum nitride (AlN), boron nitride (BN), gallium nitride (GaN) and diamond also exhibit a wide-band gap and chemical resistance as well as exhibiting properties from a semiconductor to an insulator. These properties are of substantial interest for high temperature applications approaching 1000° C. and for aggressive environment applications. In addition, these properties are desirable for high density integrated circuit packing.
In the prior art, metallization methods, including dry-film imaging and screen printing have been used for the production of conductive patterns on alumina. However, metal compatibility difficulties with high thermal conductivity ceramic materials such as aluminum nitride (AlN) and silicon carbide (SiC), have not been completely solved. Copper and silver paste exhibits a thermal coefficient of expansion (TCE) mismatch aggravated by high temperatures as well as being subject to oxidation that increases the resistivity. In particular, bonding of copper to aluminum nitride (AlN) has proved to be nontrivial. Alumina or stoichiometric aluminum oxynitride (AlON) coatings must be developed on the aluminum nitride (AlN) surface through passivation processes. These passivation processes have poor reproducibility. Thus, the direct laser synthesis of conductors in aluminum nitride (AlN), silicon carbide (SiC) and diamond substrates appears to provide solutions to this long standing prior art problem with regard to metallization and for more simple processing techniques for creating devices and circuitry that are compatible with selected ceramic substrates, while satisfying the need for higher temperature, aggressive environment, and higher density integrated circuit packaging applications.
Discussion of wide bandgap materials and the processing thereof are discussed in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,741; U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,841; U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,042; U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,607; U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,609; U.S. Pat. No. 6,054,375; U.S. Pat. No. 6,271,576 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,670,693 are hereby incorporated by reference into the present application.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention is to advance the art by providing a method for forming a layer of a wide bandgap material in a non-wide bandgap material.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method for forming a wide bandgap semiconductor device within the wide bandgap material.
Another object of this invention is to provide a wide bandgap semiconductor device within the wide bandgap material layer of the non-wide bandgap material.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.